How to get what you want from your editor

First find the editor that’s right for you

Do you know how to get what you want from your editor? First you have to find the right one.

You’ve written your book, article, business brochure or website. If you are lucky you have a publisher who can arrange an editor for you, if not you’ll have to go out into the big wide world and find one for yourself.

That’s daunting.

There are loads of great editors out there, you just have to find the right one for you. After trawling the internet and finding a website such as mine, looking through a few directories of editors (such as on the CIEP or the EFA websites), or through word of mouth, you will hopefully have found an editor who ticks all your boxes. What next?

Let your editor know all about your project

When you contact an editor, to get the best from the business relationship it’s best to tell them everything. The more an editor knows, the easier their work will be, and in turn it will be easier for you both. Not all editors work on the same material, and the editor you think might be a good fit might not be able to work on your project. It’s much better finding out whether you can work together quickly.

First of all, when you approach a copyeditor or developmental editor let them know what you need. The more detailed your brief, the easier it will be for them to translate that into what you really need.

The simplest way to do this is to write a short briefing document. Thinking hard about what you want the end result to be, at the start of the process, will save you both time later.

I’ve put together a list for you, but it’s not a be-all and end-all. Tailor it to meet your needs – it will make you think, and will ease the pain of giving over your project to an editor.

1. What is your document, how long is it (how many words / pages) and what is it about. Heavily academic, or for general readership?

Is it a 1,500 word article on the use of radio frequency monitoring for a paranormal research journal, or a 35,000 word romance novella for the young adult market? It’s important for your editor to know the intended audience, genre, and level of readership.

2. How it will be published?

Is it to be a traditionally published book via a publisher, to be self-published, an e-book, brochure, flyer, menu, or website?

3. Are there language issues?

Is it written in British English, American English or another English, which will require specific knowledge, or are you a non-native speaker. Has the document been translated?

4. What’s the timescale and delivery date?

How long do you have? Is there a publishing schedule, and is there a non-negotiable date that the document needs to be edited by? What is the date you would like to take delivery from your editor? Are you leaving plenty of time for the editor to do their job properly? Is it all ready now or will some of it come along later, and when can it be expected? Remember, many editors are booked up in advance and an edit is a professional service, which requires time to complete.

5. Do you want a proofread, a light edit, a substantial copyedit or a developmental edit?

Do you want a light proofread, minimal intervention editing, restructuring if necessary, or a bit of re-writing? Are you using codes or styles in your work that the editor needs to be aware of?

Often people think they need a document proofread when they really need an edit. Make sure you know what you need. Pop over to the CIEP page to see a quick FAQ on the differences if you are unsure

6. How will you supply the material to be edited?

Is it on paper, via email or downloadable from a remote website such as Dropbox. Most editors work on computer now, so if you want an edit or proofread on paper you will need to make this clear right at the start. The industry standard is to edit a Word document – some editors will work on Google docs, but again this is not something every editor does, so make sure they know this asap. Proofreads happen right at the end of the publishing chain, so are usually completed on a PDF.

7. What exactly is to be included?

Do you want a text only edit, or are there illustrations / photos / diagrams / tables etc. Do you expect the editor to work on cover copy, running heads, references, footnotes, endnotes etc.? Do you already have copyright permissions arranged? Do illustrations need to be scaled or worked on, or are captions to be written by the editor?

8. Do you have a house style?

Many publishing houses have their own house style – a document giving information on spelling, layout, preferred terms etc. Do you have your own, one you are required to work to, or are you content to let the editor use his or her professional judgement?

9. Have any agreements been arranged that the editor needs to know about?

Has anything been promised that the editor needs to know about, such as acknowledgements or items to be used in certain ways.

10. Contact details

Who will the editor liaise with when queries arise? Give all relevant contact details both of yourself and anyone else involved in the publication of the document that the editor will need to be in contact with. Be sure to give your editor not only your email address, but your physical address – they’ll need that for their records and invoices.

11. Document example pages

Give your editor some representative samples of your work. It could be a sample chapter, a few pages or the whole document. This will allow your editor to make a reasoned estimate of the time it will take to work on your project, and also what level of edit it may need. You may also receive a sample edit from your editor to allow you to see how they will work on the writing.

12. Budget

Once all the relevant details are noted you will need to be upfront with the editor about your budget. A quick proofread will cost less that a substantial edit. While budget is important, you must remember that you will get what you pay for… it’s much easier to know ahead of time what level of edit your budget will allow for. Before accepting work, both you and your editor must be clear about what work is to be done. Ask what expenses are included in the price and what will be charged separately for.

Nearly there…

When you have agreed everything with your editor there are a few final things to tick off. Make sure…

• You both know what has been agreed (level of edit, timescale and fee).
• You have given all contact details and if there is a preferred way to contact you.
• You know what expenses are included in the fee, and what are not.
• You know how many rounds of edit are included (that is when the editor sends back the document and answers your questions or amends the edit. Each round may be paid for as a separate edit).
• That the editor is aware if the project is confidential.
• You have backup copies of everything you send to your editor, either electronic or physical documents. Insure against loss or damage in transit if physical copies are being sent, and never send original artwork unless it is absolutely necessary and agree beforehand.
• If you would like the editor to keep copies of correspondence / work done, have you agreed this and specified a time-scale?
• That if the editor needs to hand over notes or a style sheet to a designer or typesetter, they know this in advance of the project starting.

Sounds complicated?

It isn’t really, but using this checklist will be worth the effort, and makes for a good editor/client relationship.